home is where the heart is
by Miah-Chan
Summary: Makoto's plans for a study date at Haru's don't quite turn out as he planned-but he's not complaining. Rated K for domestic fluff, tickle fights, and a sappy end


Well, long time no see lovelies! :3 I hope you've all been well. I've been busy trying to Adult as best I can (i.e. graduating Uni, finally getting a full-time job, lamenting about the probability of having to go back to school for _another_ degree, etc. Fun stuff.)

Anyway, I'm back with a short _Free!_ one-shot, as requested by a friend on Tumblr: "I would very much like to read a MakoHaru one shot/drabble about Mako coming over to Haru's for a college 'study date' that doesn't exactly include studying... Next move is yours. ;D 3"

Feel free to see this less shippy and more queerplatonic; I didn't really specify. This was my first time writing for _Free!_ so I was getting a feel for their characters.  
Hope you enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do _not_ own "Free!" or any affiliated characters.

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Makoto wasn't entirely sure how they had gotten to this point but a glance at his phone told him it was nearly 9 p.m. and somehow he was sitting on the couch about to watch a movie with Haru—which wasn't exactly a _bad thing_ but it was a far cry from the study date they'd planned on. The trains would stop running before long and they hadn't cracked open a single book; he'd hate to leave without having accomplished even a small percentage of what they'd actually planned this night for.

"Haru," the brunet nudged his friend's knee with his own. "Maybe we should watch this another night. We haven't studied at all."

The arch stare Haru gave him told Makoto exactly what his best friend thought of that idea.

"You studied while I made dinner." Haru replied, turning his attention back to the T.V. He had a point; Makoto had reviewed his notes as Haru cooked, considering his lifelong banishment from the kitchen, but that didn't solve the issue that _Haru_ also had assignments to worry about. What good was a study date if it didn't benefit them both?

"Yeah but you have an exam coming up," Makoto persisted, plucking the remote from Haru's hand. "C'mon, let's—"

A poke in his side halted his words and he jumped, turning to stare at Haru in surprise.

When he saw the mischievous twinkle in those blue eyes, he knew he had already lost.

"No," he said, pointing firmly at the raven-haired boy. "Haru don't—" He didn't have time to finish his sentence before Haru's fingers were mercilessly attacking his ribs. Giggles turned to raucous laughter as Makoto fought to push Haru's hands away, dropping the remote and falling back against the couch. There was a pause, a moment where they watched the remote skid under the coffee table, before they both launched themselves forward—Haru towards the remote and Makoto towards Haru.

Grateful for his overall larger frame, Makoto ducked to tackle Haru by the waist, pulling him down onto the couch. He could hear Haru's muffled laughter against his shoulder, felt the smaller boy's chest shaking against his. With a grin and a victory cry, Makoto sat up on his elbows to briefly hover over Haru, taking in the swimmer's smile. It was picturesque, the way Haru's blue eyes shone in the low light, the crooked smile tugging his lips, his inky fringe ruffled across his forehead.

A shame he couldn't look longer—but he had some revenge to dish out.

"You're being really irresponsible, Haru- _chan_." Grinning, Makoto grasped Haru's sides just under his ribs where he was most ticklish. Haru gasped, squirming away from the brunet's touch to no avail. Makoto kept drumming his fingers up and down Haru's sides until he finally succeeded in pulling a real laugh from his friend's lips. He stopped to let Haru catch his breath and chuckled as he reached down to grab the remote from the floor.

Leaning back against the couch, he pulled Haru under his arm so he could lay his head against Makoto's shoulder. The two stayed pressed close together throughout the movie and when the credits began to roll, Makoto yawned before whispering reluctantly, "I guess it's time to go home."

"Stay," Haru murmured, pressing closer so that his face was hidden against the side of Makoto's throat. "The trains have stopped for the night anyway and you don't have class tomorrow."

 _You are home_ went unspoken but was heard nonetheless.

So Makoto wrapped his other arm around Haru and leaned to the side, pulling them both to lay across the couch. Haru immediately snuggled closer, breathing a silent sigh of contentment that Makoto echoed as he turned off the T.V., dropping the remote to the floor as the room fell dark.

"Fine," he murmured into Haru's hair, pressing a light kiss to the crown of his head. "You win."

And with Haru's smile against his collarbone, their legs tangled together, both fully relaxed for the first time in weeks, Makoto found he didn't mind losing in the least.

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Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :D

~Miah-Chan


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